Plus 1 for the wooden handles, the Padauk on my AD Fiery Mane, well until you’ve used one you don’t know what your missing IMHO. Great review @Errol
Excellent review, I love Number 7, I am also a fan of woodAtelier Durdan Numéro 7 – Walnut Handle – 1.3 mm Gap (France)
In my quest for the perfect razor I decided that I would order an Atelier Durdan Number 7 razor in stainless steel and fit a matching Atelier Durdan titanium handle. I knew the stainless steel head on the Numéro 7 was super light and a titanium handle should balance the combination out nicely. At the time I went to order, Atelier Durdan advised that they had gone into partnership with a local wood turner and would be offering a metal framed wooden handle. My plans for a titanium handle went out the window at that time and I ordered this Numéro 7 with a walnut handle; all premium polished and with a 1.3mm gap plate. This would have been one of the very first wooden handles Atelier Durdan ever sold.
As I assembled my new pride and joy, I could not wipe the smile from my face; even with stainless steel fittings, the walnut handle was lighter than the titanium handle would have been. And the grip offered by the natural walnut was nothing short of outstanding. I suspect that the walnut has been given some form of protective coating, but it looks and feels totally natural. After a couple of assembling/ disassembling the razor, I started to notice that the walnut sleeve was moving on its shaft; not fully rotating but enough to make the razor unusable. My email to Atelier Durdan received an immediate response, he would make a video to show me how to strip the handle and if that failed offered a replacement handle. Despite my best efforts to strip the handle, I could not get enough purchase on the stainless steel fittings as the thread locker done its job. All I managed to do was mark the end fitting and put an indent in the walnut sleeve; a replacement handle was on its way, and I asked that no thread locked be applied. It was probably climatic difference between France and here that caused the wood to shrink.
Now fitted with its replacement handle it’s time to proceed. The walnut sleeve on the replacement handle has not moved from the time I received it, so I’ve never had cause to strip it. As for the head/ handle balance of the razor, it was as good as you’re ever likely to experience. There were to be no surprises with the quality of the shave, it was fantastic, but I knew that it would be. Karve CB level #D efficiency with a controlled amount of positive blade and I was in heaven. It’s not every day that a razor that delivers such a well-balanced shave presents itself, so you must enjoy it while you can. When the walnut on the handle was wet, the grain could be felt and this added to the grip level. I have been a titanium handled razor tragic for ages but now that I’ve sampled wooden handles, I could quite easily change allegiance and become a devotee of the wooden handle. After every shave I came away fully contented; I could have gladly just continued down the Atelier Durdan Numéro 7 and its walnut handle path forever.
Blades Used – Sputnik and Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow
Material – 316L Stainless steel and walnut handle
Weight – 52.2g
Blade Tab – Covered
Head Width – 43.00mm
Handle Length – 90.54mm
Handle Diameter – 15.06mm
Availability – Atelier Durdan
Final Word – An exceptional razor
We're fortunate if they make a quality reproduction, if the originals are no longer available. Most Chinese knockoffs are crap, so any effort they make to create a quality product should be applauded. Now if they would only make a quality repro of the original BR-1 handle to go with it..."A quality reproduction" - you mean a Chinese knock off?
Is Blutt, Is Best
I love the BR-1; so much so that I bought two!We're fortunate if they make a quality reproduction, if the originals are no longer available. Most Chinese knockoffs are crap, so any effort they make to create a quality product should be applauded. Now if they would only make a quality repro of the original BR-1 handle to go with it...
Even though I've been exclusively in the SE market for years now, I've long admired the aesthetic of the BR-1.
Nord Freyja #3 (Sweeden)
Last week the Nord Freyja fitted with the #2 plate surprised the hell out of me; the quality of the shave was exceptional, so I decided to use the #3 plate this week. Other than there now being three dots on the plate, there are no visual changes from the set up I used last week; it maintains what looks like a shave angle dictating cap, quality manufacture, two tone electropolished/ brushed presentation, wide blade clamping areas and that unusual comb like feature in the lather clearing channel, all up, a quality product. Swapping plates did not alter the Freyja’s face contact feature and the blade remained in full contact for every stroke. As expected, there was an increase in efficiency up to Karve CB level #D, but I was a little disappointed that the shave was not as smooth as I thought it should be. It was in no way rough, but the positive blade just did not provide a corresponding level of comfort to that of the #2 plate. The Nord Freyja is a quality product that delivered a good shave, and many people will rave about its virtues but for me, there’s better.
Blades Used – Gillette 7 O’Clock Yellow and Royal II
Material – 304 Stainless Steel
Weight – 87.9g
Blade Tab – Slightly exposed
Head Width – 42.03mm
Handle Length – 89.99mm
Handle Diameter – 11.75mm
Availability – Nord Razors
Final Word – Got the job done
A
Excellent review, yes I love my LE 3/20 La Faulx and agree whole heartedly, wooden handles are superb. I believe there’s a market for Australian Hardwood handles out there? @TroyToolsAtelier Durdan Crinière Ardente (France)
Production stopped at twenty pieces only and with so many combinations available, this could be the most exclusive razor I’ve ever purchased. I’d been thinking about a le Maurice for a while and with one of the options being the Le Maurice head; tick. Just about every Atelier Durdan model option was available for selection and when combined with the various efficiency levels, this could well be the only Crinière Ardente made to this specification. Under the listing for the Cap were a multitude of options to choose from, so ordered the 1.6 / 1.1 (pour Le Maurice / N° 7). Sounds aggressive, but I’ve always found Atelier Durdan products to deliver a great shave and to be a little on the mild side. This razor is machined from bronze as a tribute to the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Fire Horse; the mainly sandblasted head has a polished pattern on the top of the cap to represent the horse’s mane flowing in the breeze. Setting the whole razor off, the Crinière Ardente comes with a padauk wood handle and bronze fittings. With no knowledge of Chinese, I have to accept that the scrawl on the end cap of the handle is ‘horse’ written in Chinese. I did try to unscrew the end cap by hand, but it was secure so I’m assuming that thread locker has been applied. When it comes to handles, wood is the number one choice for me at present. This handle is quite large, being over 17mm in diameter and 100mm long, yet the whole razor with all its bronze pieces weighs in at an impressive 75g. Wood provides a secure grip for shaving with no knurling, no grooves, just the undeniable beauty of natural wood displayed for everyone to see.
It’s been a while since I last sampled the Le Maurice and I had forgotten just how accomplished it is as a razor. I’ve been known to rave on how good the Numéro 7 is, but having now resampled the Le Maurice, I don’t know that there is a winner. Efficiency sat just under the Karve CB Level #D and with its ever so sweet positive blade, my time using the Le Maurice came to an all to soon conclusion. While I absolutely loved the wooden handled padauk with its natural red accent, I do have one minor complaint, it is too long. For me I would have liked to have seen it about 15mm shorter. Its large diameter helped hide its length, but on occasions the extra length got caught up. This is a fabulous razor that is available in its standard form without the added attention of the fiery horse detail, but I do recommend the wooden handle. Really enjoyed my time again with the Le Maurice.
Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Glatz Super Platinum
Material – Bronze – Handle padauk
Weight – 74.6g
Blade Tab – Covered
Head Width – 43.02mm
Handle Length – 100.13mm
Handle Diameter – 17.38mm
Availability – Limited Edition
Final Word – Superb
Ask and you shall receiveI believe there’s a market for Australian Hardwood handles out there? @TroyTools
As an avid elder scrolls fan this is simply incredibleAtelier Durdan Dwemer (France)
‘Inspired by the mythical universe of The Elder Scrolls and the ingenuity and sophisticated aesthetics of the Dwemer civilisation’, someone might understand but to me they are speaking gobbledegook. All was not well on the Dwemer front though; the company Bethesda who copywrite the name Dwemer do not authorise the use of the Dwemer name for any product. My shipping notification has the razor listed as a Dwarf razor; I purchased it as a Dwemer and it is engraved Dwemer so I will refer to it as a Dwemer and let Atelier Duran sort out any trouble. All I need to know is that this is a limited edition with eight examples, lines engraved over the plate and cap, and that it’s a razor: ah, and it’s bronze.
My flippant description above does not do justice to this piece of art and the work that has gone into its creation. Atelier Durdan own garden variety Le Maurice delivers an exceptional shave when one of the more efficient plates is fitted so why not use it as the basis for the Dwemer, and to my eye, that is exactly what has been done. But there have been changes made that make the Dwemer unique. Wherever one looks there are indicators that this is a very special razor; the ends of the cap enclose the blade but instead of just being squared off they have been given a profile and made to look like they are attached by a screw, all added to visually arouse one’s senses. There is a flat underside to the cap with round blade posts, wide but angled blades clamping flats, and the engraving over the top of the cap extends through to the blade clamping flats. It’s a standard looking plate except for the engraving that engulfs the whole plate; whether the engraving starts on the front or the back, a mug like me will never know (or care) but the pattern carries on over the ends of the plate to the opposite side. Another feature is the diamond shape machined out of the back of the plate as a recess for the handle to locate into. Now to the handle; simple in structure but it would have been a machinist’s nightmare to program; the three high point sections have diamonds machined around the perimeter and the lower sections have longitudinal lines. Weigh apparently was never a consideration when Atelier Durdan penned this razor, it weighs in at a mammoth 144g; fair enough, the other seven who share this creation may never put a blade anywhere near theirs, but I’m going to. When I say that the bronze médiéval finish is superb, I mean that it is as good as you’re ever likely to see and every bit of the razor is polished, even the underside of the cap but it should be on such a special edition razor.
I’m not normally known for worrying about using any razor; I’m usually in there boots and all, but this one had me a little concerned about damage to the médiéval bronze finish. I remembered that many users of Charcoal Goods razors used some sort of protective wax on their antique finished brass razors. A little research had me purchasing a jar of Renaissance Wax/ Polish to protect the médiéval bronze finish on the Dwemer. Simple to apply with a soft rag and it seemed to protect the finish, it looked just as good after I used it as it did before.
This razor is never going to make it as anyone’s daily driver and most Dwemer razors are destined for a life of being the centrepiece of a collection and spend their life sitting in display cabinet. Most of the eight will never be used but it would be good to know if it can deliver a very comfortable shave if ever it’s called on to do so. Karve CB Level C efficiency and more than a hint of positive blade feel led to super smooth shaves. Shaving with the Feather blade made the whole experience even more positive, it made everything just that little bit more appealing. There is no way of getting away from the weight of the Dwener, it is heavy, but that weight probably contributed to the comfortable shaves it delivered. Now that I know that I can safely call on the Dwemer for a shave if ever the need arises, it is now time for this one to be displayed as the centre piece of my Atelier Durdan collection. Expensive, but for me, money well spent.
Blades Used – Gillette Minora and Feather
Material – Bronze
Weight – 144.4g
Blade Tab – Enclosed
Head Width – 47.06mm
Handle Length – 82.54mm
Handle Diameter – 14.19mm
Availability – Atelier Durdan
Final Word – Very refined
